An automation network includes several nodes, i.e., network devices, connected on a network and controlled from one or more locations. Often times, network designers prefer to use similar, interchangeable devices on a network. Depending on the application of an individual, “standardized,” network device, certain functions of the device may not be used.
An automation device such as a programmable logic controller (PLC) generally comprises a computer processing unit, RAM, Flash RAM and a network interface. The application program for controlling the PLC is stored in the Flash RAM, typically consuming 256-512K of Flash RAM. The application code is transmitted to RAM at boot up of the automation device. Depending on the desired funtionality of the automation device, various portions of the application code may not be used. For instance, an all-purpose or “universal” application program can implemented wherein a standard executive code and user code for the control system exists within the application program for any desired network function. Due to the universality of the application code, the application code can be quite large. Some of the PLCs integrated with the network will not utilize all of the functionality provided within the standardized application program. Transferring and executing a large application program will affect the overall efficiency of the control system. The unnecessary use of storage space on the system, along with the additional time involved in transferring larger program codes, contributes to the inefficiency of the control system.
The present invention is provided to solve these and other problems.